Crested Duck

Facts about Crested Ducks. The crested duck is native to South America and the Crested Duck is a breed of a duck that descended from the Mallard. It has a powder-puff of feathers on its head an attribute that makes it striking. Crested Duck has medium weight and is dual purpose being used for both eggs and meat. The scientific name for Crested Duck is "Lophonetta specularioides".

Crested Duck Appearance

Crested Ducks have a distinctive dark mask in the area around the eyes and also a distinctive crest. Mature male (drake) usually weigh 6 to 7 pounds (2.2 to 3.1 kg) while the female duck have a weight of approximately 5 to 6 pounds (2.2 to 2.7 kg). Crested Duck can lay from 120 to 200 eggs per year. The ducklings of crested duck grow really fast which makes them good for birds of the diner table as well as layers.

The Crested Duck has a mutation that usually causes a lethal allele combination of condition that causes 25 percent of embryos to die if the crest ducks are a pure bred. It is also worth noting when the young that survive develop other health complications such as twisted necks. However, if a crested duck mates with a crest-less one, the offspring will have no lethal allele combination and some of the young will have crests while others will be crest-less.

The Standard of Perfection in the United States of America recognizes both white and black crested ducks. Breeders have developed other varieties of the Crested Ducks such as Gray, Buff and Blue. This species was admitted to the British Standard of Perfection in 1910 and to the American Standard of Perfection in 1874.

Crusted ducks have two subspecies which are L. specularioides specularioides-Patagonian crested duck- and L. specularioides alticola -Andean crested duck. The Patagonian crested duck which is also commonly known as southern crested duck is found in Chile, Argentina and Falklands.

The Lophonetta specularioides resembles the Marbled Duck in appearance and at times is classified as diving duck.
Feeding
Lophonetta specularioides typically feeds on crustaceans, algae, clams, adult insects and invertebrates.

Features about Crested Duck egg

A Crested Duck egg has twice the nutritional value than a chicken egg and will stay fresh longer because of their thicker shell.
Crested Duck eggs are richer with more Albumen "the white of an egg" making pastries and cakes richer and fluffier. A Crested Duck Egg has more Omega 3 fatty acids than a chicken egg. Omega 3 is thought to improve skin health, memory and Brain health. Crested Duck Eggs are an Alkaline producing food and a Chicken egg is an acid food and leaves your body more acid. Crested Duck eggs are high in Cholesterol. Duck eggs have 6 times the Vitamin D and 2 times the Vitamin A than a chicken egg. Crested Duck eggs have 2 times the cholesterol than a chicken egg.

Scientific name for Duck "Anas Platyrhynchos" meaning - Wild dabbling duck from which domestic ducks are descended; widely distributed. From New Latin "anas" meaning (Duck) and the word Platyrhynchos comes from "platyrrhine", Ancient Greek meaning (broad snouted, flat-bridged nose).
Crested Ducks are birds in the Class of "Aves". Crested Duck and Ducks of all types are part of the bird family "Anatidae". Crested Ducks are also called "waterfowls" they are generally found in places were there is water, such as ponds, rivers, streams, lakes and occasionally your back yard pool. The definition of Anatidaephobia is irrational fear that you are being watched by a duck.

Crested Ducks Breeding

Crested ducks has an average clutch of around 5 to 7 eggs. They prefer nesting in tall grass near water. Both males and females are very aggressive and work together to take care of the ducklings.

Underneath the water-proof coat are downy soft fluffy feathers which keep the Crested Ducks body warm. Crested Ducks keep clean by being able to turn their heads completely backwards, and put their beaks into their feathers by preening themselves.

Features about the Crested Ducks Feet

Crested Ducks have webbed feet, that makes them act like paddles, designed for swimming. They push their webbed paddle feet back in a kicking motion, this allows them to move swift through the water and when the feet come back, they will close for less water resistance. The Crested Ducks paddle feet do not feel cold, even when it swims in cold icy water. The webbed feet makes a Crested Duck waddle instead of walk. The Crested Ducks feet have capillaries which help blood flow to their feet. The warm blood flow down the leg and creates a heat exchange system. When the blood flows down the leg, it meets the cold blood and is warmed up to keep the Crested Ducks feet warm. Ducks feet are thin because they contain soft tissue and few muscles.

Crested Ducks are related to swans and geese and the duck is the smallest of these birds with shorter wings and neck and a stocky body. Crested Ducks on average, live 4 to 8 years and can live up to 12 years, depending on the breed. Crested Ducks are omnivores; meaning - an animal that eats food of both animal and plant and origin.

In the wild male Crested Duck will guard their nest by chasing away other ducks. Once the female Crested Duck lays 5 to 8 eggs, she will start to sit on her eggs to keep them warm so that they can hatch into baby Crested ducklings. The eggs will hatch on average within 26 to 28 days. Baby Crested ducklings are able to fly within 5 to 8 weeks.

The Crested Duck is a Precocial (meaning) Born or hatched with the eyes open, a covering of hair or down, capable of a high degree of independent activity from birth and able to leave the nest just a few hours after hatching.

The male adult Crested Duck is called a (drake) and a adult female Crested Duck is called a (hen). A young Crested baby duck is called a (duckling). A group of ducks is called a brace, raft, team, flock, or paddling. The male Crested Ducks (drakes) are the brighter colored ducks while the female (hen) are usually a plain colored for hiding purposes to be camouflaged from their enemies when they are sitting in their nests.

Crested Ducks Water-proof feathers

A special feature that the Crested Duck has is its water-proof feathers, even when the Crested Duck dives underwater, its downy under-layer of feathers will stay totally 100% dry. There is a special gland called the "Preen Gland" also called Oil Gland or Uropygial, that produces oil that is near the Crested Ducks tail which covers and spreads the outer coat of the Crested Ducks feathers, which makes the duck water-proof.

Crested Ducks see in color with very good vision and can see well underwater. Crested Ducks have three eyelids the third eyelid called nictitating membrane. They have a top and bottom as well as a third eyelid that is found on the side of the eye. The Crested Ducks eyelid blinking acts as a windshield wiper to clear the eye. This helps to see when diving under water can also help the eye from drying out while flying. This is an act of constantly cleaning and keeping the eye moist.

In captivity ducks will lay more eggs, when there is more daylight, that's why farmers will keep the lights on in the ducks house for longer periods of time.
Ducks will fly in a “V” shape to makes flying easier.

Feature about the Crested Ducks Bill

A "bill" is what is call a Crested Ducks mouth. There are no teeth in the Crested Ducks bill, they have rows of thin bristles, which helps them to filter pieces of nutrition out of the water. Crested Ducks swallow there food whole and it goes to an organ called a gizzard, were the food is first ground up and than moves on to the stomach. The different bill shapes and sizes for finding food, has over time mutated to fit each environment. The Crested Ducks bill is flat and broad and has rows of fine incision along the outer edge called "lamellae". meaning a thin membrane, plate, scale or layer, as of cell wall or bone tissue. The larnellae helps the Crested Duck to clutch food for feeding.